Opting out of AI in popular software and services

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Generative AI tools are all the rage! And while they may have their use, some of us find them unreliable, and are concerned by their impact on our privacy and our environment. While it’s easy to simply choose not to use many of the standalone generative AI products, companies desperate to turn this idea into profit have started incorporating this technology into tools we already use. Sneaky!

But there is usually a way to opt out. Here’s how.

Adobe

Disable AI Assistant in Acrobat Pro or Reader

1. From the Edit menu, open Preferences and look for a section titled Generative AI.
2. If it’s present, there will be a check box where you can turn the assistant off. Uncheck that box and select OK. For additional and alternative steps, visit wordsbywes.ink.

Source: wordsbywes.ink

Google

Google Chrome

Hide the “Create theme with AI” button

1. Visit chrome://flags/ in your browser and search for “ntp wallpaper”. You can disable just the animation, or the button altogether.

Source: @stefan@stefanbohacek.online

Disable “AI innovations” and remove the “Ask AI” context menu items

1. Instructions are available at developer.chrome.com, but the steps for Windows users are incomplete. When using the regedit tool, you might have to create a new “Key” inside Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies called “Google”, inside it a new key called “Chrome”, if either of these don’t exist. And then add a new DWORD (32-bit) Value item and set the value to “2”.

Source: @stefan@stefanbohacek.online

Microsoft

Copilot in Microsoft 365

1. Visit https://account.microsoft.com/services.
2. Look for an option to manage your Microsoft 365 subscription and select Manage > Cancel subscription
3. Choose the “Microsoft 365 Personal Classic” option labeled with “Lower cost without AI”

Source: pcworld.com